FIU Panthers shock Miami Hurricanes with rousing victory at former site of Orange Bowl

The Orange Bowl ghosts are turning on their hallowed ground.

The FIU Panthers? Dancing all over it after stomping all over the Miami Hurricanes for most of the night.

The Panthers defied the odds Saturday by upsetting 20-point favorite Miami 30-24 at Marlins Park — the site of the former iconic stadium that housed the Hurricanes for 71 seasons through 2007.

“We wasn’t even calling them the University of Miami during the week,’’ said FIU linebacker Sage Lewis, who had 10 tackles and an interception. “We were calling them the University of Coral Gables. We’re the true Miami school. We have more students internationally. We did it for the university and really for the world.’’

With the FIU victory, the Panthers (6-5, 3-4 Conference USA) — led by former UM coach Butch Davis — qualified for a bowl game. The Hurricanes (6-5, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), in turn, gave up any chance of being selected for the Capital One Orange Bowl.

Miami also lost star running back DeeJay Dallas with what WQAM reported was a dislocated left elbow in the third quarter.

“Obviously a very, very dark night,’’ UM coach Manny Diaz said. “One of the lowest points ever in this proud program’s history. I take ownership of that. I take full responsibility for the way we played tonight. We did nothing to give ourselves a chance to win the football game. Turnovers, penalties, red zone, third down defense, the things that good football teams do, we could not do.”

Davis, who led UM’s resurgence from 1995 through 2000, had his players meticulously prepared to dominate the Canes in every phase of the game.

“If you believe in yourself and you execute and you play hard, anything is possible,’’ Davis said. “Tonight wasn’t perfect, but the kids, they believed in the opportunity of the next play. I’m unbelievably proud. Miami is a good football team.’’

With the loss, according to ESPN, the Canes “became the only team in the last 40 years to lose three times as a 14-point [or more] favorite in a single season.’’ UM lost to Virginia Tech as a 14-point favorite, to Georgia Tech as an 18 1/2-point favorite and to FIU as at least a 20-point favorite.

Buoyed by a swarming defense, deadly kicker and three interceptions by Miami quarterback Jarren Williams, FIU led 16-0 for nearly three quarters until Miami scored its first three points off a 22-yard field goal by Camden Price with 1:52 left. Williams actually threw four interceptions, but one was negated by an FIU penalty.

After FIU quarterback James Morgan (16 of 30 for 160 yards and two touchdown) threw an early fourth-quarter touchdown to Tony Gaiter IV, Miami got some life when Cam’Ron Harris scored on a 14-yard sprint to make it 23-10 with 8:07 remaining in the game. Then, a subsequent 35-yard UM touchdown pass from Williams (19 of 36 for 249 yards, two touchdowns and the three picks) to Mark Pope with 3:10 left made the score 23-17 and a comeback seemingly possible.

But the Panthers just kept stomping, and former Miami Central star Anthony Jones, who rushed for 112 yards, scored on a 37-yard run to seal the victory with 2:17 left. UM’s Dee Wiggins scored on a 3-yard catch in the final minute, but it was too late.

“FIU! FIU! FIU!’’ gleefully chanted the Panthers fans, who were outnumbered by UM fans among the crowd of 27,339.

FIU kicker Jose Borregales, whose younger brother Andres, also a kicker, is committed to UM’s recruiting class of 2021, kicked field goals of 29, 50 and a career-long 53 yards Saturday. The 53-yarder tied the program record.

FIU became the first non-Power 5 team to defeat Miami since Cincinnati did it in 2015 and will have bragging rights indefinitely, because no future games are in the works between the two programs. It was the Panthers’ first victory against the Canes in four attempts.

“It was fantastic,’’ Morgan said of the win. “All three phases really played an awesome game coming off a bye week. ...This entire year we believed in ourselves and this night it finally came to fruition.’’

The best Miami can do in the ‘19 regular season as it looks ahead to the finale at Duke in Durham, North Carolina next Saturday: 7-5 — its same regular-season record from a year ago.

The best the Canes can do after a still-to-be-determined bowl game: 8-5 — its 2015 record in Al Golden’s last season as head coach.

Saturday marked the third time this season that the Hurricanes lost after an open week, the previous such losses coming against North Carolina and Virginia Tech.

After going three-and-out in their opening drive, the Panthers came out roaring. On UM’s second offensive play of the game, Williams threw the ball right into the gut of Panthers’ cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver III, who brought it 23 yards to the Miami 18-yard line. Four plays later, Borregales kicked his 29-yarder to make it 3-0 Panthers.

FIU scored again on its next drive, going 80 yards in 11 plays that culminated with Morgan’s 29-yard touchdown pass to Shemar Thornton. The junior wideout used both hands afterward to throw a kiss to the crowd, and FIU led 10-0 with 3:59 left in the first quarter.

At that point, the Hurricanes had been outscored a combined 48-0 to open their three games after bye weeks.

The Canes had two shots at fourth-and-1 in the second quarter, and were stopped by a determined FIU defense both times. The first time, the Canes were 1-yard from a touchdown. The next time they got as far as the FIU 18, and were held there on second and third down as well.

FIU took over at their 18, and Borregalas hit his 50-yard field goal just before halftime after Canes defensive end Trevon Hill was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Panthers happily pranced into their locker room at halftime with the 13-point lead, urging the crowd with hand motions to get revved up. The Hurricanes slowly walked into theirs.

FIU has its regular-season finale on the road at noon next Saturday against Marshall, which was 7-3 overall and 5-1 in C-USA before its late-afternoon game against Charlotte (5-5, 3-3).

Though University of Miami fans think of the former Orange Bowl grounds as their sacred turf, FIU’s Davis preferred to view it differently.

“I thought it was a great venue,’’ Davis said. “It was really good for everybody to be there tonight. It was a good game. There’s maybe a little bit of those spirits that stay in that ground that kind of helped take care of us tonight.’’